Bottle carriers



C. L. GILBERT BOTTLE CARRIERS Oct. 4, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l z 1 3 H16 5 m 1 a m a a n a 9 m K m a 6 w W. u J m a i F grwa/yvbom fiLYDE l. GILBERT C. L. GILBERT BOTTLE CARRIERS Oct. 4, 1955 2 Sheets-Shes t 2 Filed July 19, 1951 Zhwe/wboa CLYDE L GILBERT United States Patent BO'ITLE CARRIERS Clyde L. Gilbert, Elkhart, Ind., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Robert Gair Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application July 19, 1951, Serial No. 237,589

1 Claim. (Cl. 220-113) This invention relates to carriers for bottles or other articles, of the type consisting of foldable sheet material and formed with partition walls providing individual cells or compartments for the articles. The invention relates particularly to carriers which are collapsible for the purpose of storing and shipping and which includes means for automatically holding and locking them in their expanded or set-up form.

Such carriers now in use are known to have certain inherent disadvantages. First, the locking means is often not devised to hold the carrier in set up form after the bottles are removed. This necessitates excessive handling in reexpanding the carrier. Second, such carriers often do not protect the bottles sufliciently since the partition walls are so constructed that glass-to-glass contact occurs between the bottles.

it is an object of this invention to provide a collapsible carrier formed from a single piece blank of foldable sheet material which comprises a novel means for holding and locking the carrier in expanded form.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a carrier which comprises a structure which will prevent glass-to-glass contact between the bottles.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The carrier is formed from a single-piece blank of foldable sheet material and includes strips or strip extensions which form inner cell walls, said strips being provided with lock tabs which move into juxtaposed relation to engage an opening in the floor of the carrier and thereby lock the carrier in set-up form.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank from which the carrier is formed, showing the side of the blank which forms the inner surfaces of the bottom, sides and ends of the carrier;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the carrier partially expanded;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the carrier fully expanded and locked;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevational view at the line 4-4 on Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view at the line 55 on Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view at the line 6-6 on Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view at the line 7-7 on Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the expanded carrier with a wire handle attached;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view at the line 9-9 on Fig. 4;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the side of the blank opposite to that shown in Fig. 1, showing the adhesive applied to the reverse side thereof; and

Fig. 11 is a similar view of another portion of the blank.

Referring to Fig. 1, the blank from which the carrier is formed consists of foldable sheet material such as paperboard or the like. The blank is provided with fold lines, indicated on the drawings by broken lines, along which the blank may be flexed or folded to form the carrier.

As shown in Fig. 1, the blank includes fold lines 10 and 11 defining the side edges of bottom panel 12 and fold lines 21, 22, 23, and 24, perpendicular to the lines 10 and 11 and in line with the end edges of the bottom panel. These fold lines define side panels 15 and 16 extending outwardly from the bottom panel 12.

Strips 17, 18, 19 and 20 extend outwardly from the ends of the side panels and are defined by the fold lines 21, 22, 23, and 24 respectively. An extension strip 25 extends outwardly from the side panel 15 and is defined by fold line 26. The strips 17, 18, 19, and 20 and the extension strip 25 are foldable, as presently described, to form the compartments or cells of the carrier and to lock the carrier in expanded form.

The strip 17 is divided by fold line 27 into an end panel 28 and a median partition panel 29. The strip 18 is divided by fold lines 30, 31, and 32 into an end panel 33, median partition panel 34, transverse partition panel 35 and end strip 36. Similarly, strip 19 is divided by fold lines 37, 38, and 39 into an end panel 40, median partition panel 41, transverse partition panel 42, and end strip 43; and strip 20 is divided by fold lines 44, 45, and 46 into end panel 47, median partition panel 48, transverse partition panel 49, and end strip 50. The extension strip 25 is divided by fold lines 51 and 52 into a panel 53, transverse partition panel 54, and a median partition panel 55.

In folding the carrier to collapsed form, the extension strip 25 is folded inwardly into juxtaposed relationship with the inner surface of the side panel 15, and the panel 53 thereof is secured to the side panel 15 by a coating 56 of suitable adhesive (shown by stippling). The strip 17 is then folded along fold line 27 to bring the panel 29 into juxtaposed relation with the extension strip 25. The median partition panel 55 of the extension strip 25 is adhered to the panel 29 by a coating of adhesive 57. The strip 18 is then folded along the fold line 30 to bring the panels 34 and 35 into juxtaposed relation with the panel 33, and side panel 15, respectively. The end strip 36 is secured to the side panel by a coating of adhesive. Similarly, the strips 19 and 20 are folded inwardly along fold lines 37 and 44, respectively, and the end strips 43 and 50 are secured to the side panel 16 by adhesive.

The two halves of the carrier are then folded inwardly along fold line 58 which extends along the middle of the bottom panel 12 parallel to fold lines 10 and 11. This brings the median partition panels 29 and 41 into juxtaposed relationship and the median partition panels 34 and 48 into juxtaposed relationship. These panels are secured to each other by coatings of adhesive on the reverse side of panels 48 and 41 (as shown in Figs. 10 and 11, respectively. Adhesive may also be applied to the reverse side of panels 29 and 34.

The carrier is now in collapsed form for storage or shipment. When it is desired to expand the carrier, the end panels 28 and 40 (Fig. 2) are pushed inwardly and the bottom panel is pushed upwardly until the end panels and the transverse panels 54, 35, 42, and 49 are perpendicular to the sides 15 and 16 (Fig. 4).

The carrier when set up, provides six individual cells for the articles including the end cells 59 and the inner or middle cells 60 (Fig. 3). The inner partition wall between the cells 60 comprises extension tabs 61, 62, and 63 (Fig. 1). The tabs 61 and 63 are separated from the panels 54 and 41, respectively, by slits 64 and 65. The fold line 52 terminates at the slit 64 so that the tab 61 remains in the same plane with the median panel 55, when the carrier is set up. Similarly, the fold line 38 terminates at the slit 65 so that the tab 63 remains in the same plane with the median panel 41.

The tabs 61, 62 and 63 are formed with locking lugs 66, each shaped to provide a hook 67. When the :blank is folded and secured, the tabs 61, 62 and '63 move into juxtaposed relation forming a single glued three-ply looking tab. When the carrier is set up, the locking tabs projectdownwardly through an opening 68 in the bottom panel and the hooks 67 interlock with the walls of said opening thereby locking the carrier in its set-up form (Figs. 4, 7, and 8).

A bail 70 preferably formed of a resilient rod or wire, bent to the shape shown, may be used as a handle. The bail is inserted through slots 71 in the cell walls.

As shown in Figs. 1, 4, 5, and 7, the inner edges of the end panels 28, 33, 40, and 47 and transverse partition panels 35, 42, and 49 are slightly inclined so that when the carrier is set up, the locking lugs draw the bottom panel upwardly a short distance above the bottom level of the carrier. 'By this construction, the locking lugs do not extend below the bottom level of the carrier (Fig. 9).

The provision for triple-ply locking tabs as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 5, and '9 insures a strong, reliable lock and one which will be effective after prolonged use of the carrier.

As shown in Fig. 6, the portion 73 of the panel 53 joined to the side panel 15 is wider in order to offer sufficient strength to the extension panel 25. The end strip 36 is shortened or cut off at 74 in order to abut against the panel 53, as shown in Fig. 6.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 9, each of the cells is defined by panels which form complete walls between adjacent bottles thus preventing glass-to-glass contact between the surfaces of the bottles.

Modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A bottle carrier formed from a single-piece blank of foldable sheet material, said carrier comprising median and transverse partition panels dividing the carrier into a plurality of individual cells, said carrier comprising a bottom panel, side panels extending upwardly therefrom, end panels extending inwardly toward each other from the side panels, median partition panels extending from the inner ends of said end panels parallel with the side panels, one said median partition panel extending inwardly into substantially abutting relation with the opposite median panel's, transverse partition panels extending outwardly from the inner ends of the median panels to the side panels, means for attaching the transverse partition panels to the side panels, an extension strip extending from the side panel to which one said median panel is attached and folded with a portion thereof in juxtaposed relationship with the said side panel, said extension Einoluding a transverse section extending inwardly from said folded portion and forming .a cell wall and a section extending outwardly from said transverse .sect-ion parallel with the side panel and in juxtaposed relationship with the median partition panels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,381,543 Inrnan Aug. 7, 1945 2,418,350 Holy Apr. 1, 1947 2,532,446 Hall Dec. 5, 1950 2,539,304 Hall Ian. 23, 1951 2,551,559 Gilbert May 1, 1951 2,559,374 Ringler July 3, 1951 2,586,301 Castle Feb. 19, 1952 

